Food-dispensing table



1929. A. e. ROTHMAN ET AL 1,737,806

FOOD DI SPENS ING TABLE Filed Dec. 11, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l :Ill LZZITJI I I 1 I 1 4s +L 55 I m V I9 Q m =,Z6 35 if 4 6 2 I 1 /9 :[wuwntoq 0.61 80% man 67H 62 rier A. G. ROTHMAN ET AL FOOD DISPENSING TABLE Dec. 3, 1929.

2 Shgets-Sheet 2 Filed 19%. 11, 1928 Z-l q 4.6 fiaifiman afifiari'er Patented Dec. 3, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- ARTHUR G. ROTHMAN AND CHARLES H. CARTER, OF HAMMOND, INDIANA, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-THIRD TO ARTHUR VAN PROYEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS FOOD-DISPENSING TABLE Application filed December 11, 1928.

- This invention relates to food dispensing tables, and more particularly to a rotating table constructed to receive a plurality of containers and permit their ready access by an 5 operator.

An important object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of this character which may be very readily converted for use with either hot or cold foods.

A further object of the invention is to produce an apparatus of this character which may be very readily cleaned and kept in a sanitary condition, which will be durable and eflicient in service, and a general improvement in the art.

A still further object of the invention is to produce a device of this character which will keep articles cold or warm without actually subjecting the articles or the receptacles in which they are placed to contact by the heating or cooling medium, thus enabling the receptacles to be removed without danger of severe scalds and without too great discomfort.

5 These and other objects we attain by the construction shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of our invention and wherein 0 Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view through a fooddispensing table constructed in accordance with our invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the table, the receptacles being removed and a portion of the cover being broken away;

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view;

Figure 4 is a plan view of one of the receptacles, a portion of the receptacle cover being broken away.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral indicates a suitably supported circular tank within which is removably mounted a central tank 11 having supporting legs 12 maintaining its bottom 13 in spaced relation to the bottom 14 of the tank 10. The upper cnds of the side walls of the tanks 10 and 11 are coplanar and seated thereon is an annular rim or cover 15 having downwardly extending shoulders 16 engag- Serial No. 325,178.

ing the inner faces of the side walls of the tank 10 and similar shoulders 17 engaging the outer faces of the side walls of the tank 11. These shoulders maintain the tanks 11 in concentric relation and prevent displacement of the cover 15. The cover 15 has at its side edges upturned flanges 18 and has, upon its upper face, adjacent to but spaced from each flange, a rib 19. The ribs 19 are preferably provided by securing to the upper face of the cover 15 a wire of copper or other suitable material;

The flanges 18 and ribs 19 combine to provide annular raceways receiving inner and outer rows of anti-friction balls, designated at 20 and 21. The balls 20 are of less diameter than the balls 21, for a purpose presently to appear.

The space between the tanks 10 and 11 constitutes a water chamber 22 in which the contained body of water may be either heated or cooled, depending upon the type of food which is to be dispensed from the table. To this end, a heater 23 is provided and the tank 11 is further provided with a contained coil 24 for the circulation either of a heating or cooling medium. The tank 10 is also provided with an inlet 24 an overflow 25 and a drain 26. Extending into the tank 11 is a receptacle container including a bottom wall 27 and an annular side wall 28. The wall 28 has an out-turned flange 29 resting upon the anti-friction elements 20 of the inner raceway.

Upon the inner surface of the bottom 13 0f the tank 11 is centrally disposed a casting 29 forming the outer element of a raceway while the bottom 27 of the receptacle container is provided with the inner element of this raceway, indicated at 30, anti-friction walls being disposed between the elements and serving at once to provide an anti-friction support for the center of the receptacle container and a centering means therefor.

The upper surface of the bottom 13' is further preferably provided with an annular raceway 31 having anti-friction elements 32 upon which the botom of the receptacle container seats. A cover 33 is pro-vided com prising upper and lower walls having an annular group of segmentally shaped receptacle receiving openings 34, the upper and lower elements of the cover being sealed to one another about the edges of the openings and about the rim.

A central opening 35 is preferably likewise provided for the reception of a circular receptacle. Between the upper and lower elements of the cover, radially extending reinforcing elements 36 are disposed to stiffen the cover. This cover, when in applied position, seats upon the flange 29 of the receptacle container and is held in proper relation thereto by pins 37 projecting upwardly from the surface of this flange and engaging in openings formed in the cover. Outwardly of the flange 29, the cover seats upon the anti-friction elements 21 of the outer raceway. Receptacles 38 are provided for insertion in the open ing 34, each of which is preferably provided with a removable cover 39 formed in two sec tions connected by a piano hinge 40. One of these sections is preferably notched, as at 41, for the passage of a serving ladle. The central receptacle 42 may be of the usual lift cover type. Each of the receptacles preferably is provided intermediate its ends with a bead or flange 413 to seat upon the cover 33.

It will be obvious that with a structure of this character, the receptacle container and its cover may be readily rotated to bring any of the receptacles within reach of a waiter without the necessity of the waiter moving from his tracks, thus expediting the serving operation. Since the heating medium does not actually come in contact with the receptacles, there is little dangerof injury in substituting one container for another. It will further be obvious that the table may be read ily converted from a hot to a cold table by simply draining the contents of the water chamber 22 and providing fresh contents which will of itself serve to cool the table and then substituting a cooling medium for the heating medium previously employed.

It will also be obvious that the construction employed is capable of a certain range of change and modification without materially departing from the spirit of the invention and we accordingly do not limit ourselves to such specific structure except as hereinafter claimed.

We claim 1. In a rotating food dispensing table, a closed water chamber the upper wall of which has a circular depression, a receptacle container rotatably fitting the depression, antifriction elements supporting the receptacle container and arranged within said depression, and a cover for the receptacle container seating upon the margins of the container and outwardly of the margins of the container having anti-friction engagement with the wall of the chamber outwardly of the depres sion, said cover having openings permitting the insertion of receptacles to said container.

2. In a rotating food dispensing table, a stationary chamber having a circular depression in its upper wall, a receptacle container rotatably supported within said depression and having at the upper end of its side Wall an outstanding flange, the upper wall of the chamber outwardly of the depression having concentric inner and outer raceways for anti-friction elements, anti-friction elements in said raceways, the flange of the receptacle container seating upon the anti-friction elements of the inner raceway, and a cover for the receptacle container seating upon the upper surface of said flange and upon the antifriction elements of the outer raceway, said cover having openings permitting the insertion of receptacles to the container.

3. In a rotating food dispensing table, a closed water chamber the upper wall of which has a circular depression, a receptacle c0n-,

tainer rotatably fitting the depression, antifriction elements supporting the receptacle container and arranged within said depression, and a cover for the receptacle container seating upon the margins of the container and outwardly of the margins of the container having anti'friction engagement with the wall of the chamber outwardly of the depression, said cover having openings permitting the insertion of receptacles to said container, the anti-friction elements within the depression and supporting the receptacle coacting with race elements carried by said container and the wall of the depression, said race elements coacting to maintain the container in a central position within the depression. 7

4. In a rotating food dispensing table, a stationary chamber having a circular depression in its upper wall, a receptacle container rotatably supported within said depression and having at the upper end of its side wall an outstanding flange, the upper wall of the chamber outwardly of the depression having concentric inner and outer raceways for antifriction elements, anti-friction elements in said raceways, the flange of the receptacle container seating upon the anti-friction ele ments of the inner raceway, a cover for the receptacle container seating upon the upper surface of said flange and upon the anti-friction elements of the outer raceway, said cover having openings permitting the insertion of receptacles to the container, and coacting race elements upon the wall of the depression and the container at the center thereof maintaining the container in concentric relation to the side wall of the depression;

5. In a rotating foo'd dispensing table, a closed water chamber the upper wall of which has a circular depression, a receptacle container rotatably fitting the depression, antifriction elements supporting the receptacle container and arranged within said depression, a cover for the receptacle container seating upon the margins of the container and outwardly of the margins of the container having anti-friction engagement with the wall of the chamber outwardly of the depression, said cover having openings permitting the insertion of receptacles to said container, means for supplying a liquid to said chamber, and means for controlling the temperature of the liquid.

6. In a rotating food dispensing table, a stationary chamber having a circular depression in its upper wall, a receptacle container rotatably supported within said depression and having at the upper end of its side wall an outstanding flange, the upper wall of the chamber outwardly of the depression having concentric inner and outer raceways for antifriction elements, anti-friction elements in said raceways, the flange of the receptacle container seating upon the anti-friction elements of the inner raceway, a cover for the receptacle container seating upon the upper surface of said flange and upon the antifriction elements of the outer raceway, said cover having openings permitting the insertion of receptacles to the container, means for supplying a liquid to said chamber, and means for controlling the temperature of the liquid.

In testimony whereof we hereunto afiix our signatures.

ARTHUR G. ROTHMAN. CHARLES H. CARTER. 

